Signs You Should Replace Your Boat Propeller
Signs You Should Replace Your Boat Propeller
With a properly sized propeller, a boat will run at its peak efficiency with the greatest crew comfort and minimal wear on the boat’s systems and components. However, if the propeller starts to show evidence of damage or the mission of the boat changes, a propeller replacement may be necessary. Here are some signs you should replace your boat propeller.
Strange Vibrations
Boats operating in harsh environments or shallow water are more susceptible to propeller damage. In these conditions, captains should be keenly aware of the possibility of propeller damage. Thus, they must exercise extreme caution and well-chosen best practices to mitigate damaging the more delicate components such as propellers, shafts, and rudders.
In the event of a grounding or a hard strike on something beneath the water’s surface, you might feel an unfamiliar vibration throughout your vessel that isn’t typical. In many cases, this unfamiliar vibration matches the rotational rate of the shaft, which you can confirm if the frequency of the vibration increases along with the speed of the engine. Although this may not have a direct effect on the speed of the vessel, the vibration can damage other components on the vessel and diminish the comfort and safe operation of the boat.
Performance Changes
If there are no strange vibrations, but the performance of the boat has changed, propeller damage may still be the culprit. Possible signs you should replace your boat propeller may include changes such as diminished speed in pleasure craft or diminished thrust in larger ships using Kaplan propellers. When a grounding or strike occurs, you should take your boat out of service to check for damage to the underwater gear. If the boat is too large to trailer, you will either need to dry dock it or have underwater divers inspect it to determine the extent of the damage. Once they assess the damage, you can decide whether to repair or replace the equipment.
Costly Repairs
In cases where the damage is slight, an experienced propeller repair shop can bring the propeller back to the manufacturer’s specifications. These jobs typically include straightening bent and dinged blades, but in cases where repair is either not possible or too costly, the customer will opt to replace the propeller. If the boat was performing correctly before the damage, professionals typically replace the propeller with a propeller of the same specification. Otherwise, you can ask repair shops to replace the propeller with the most optimal size for your vessel. If your boat undergoes a repower with greater horsepower, boat owners will install a propeller to absorb the additional power than the one they’re replacing.